Augmentation mammoplasty, that is, surgical augmentation of the breasts, is a common cosmetic surgical procedure that has been performed for many years. This procedure usually entails making a surgical incision to create a pocket in the breast and then inserting a mammary prosthesis, generally shaped similar to the human breast, into the pocket.
Mammary prostheses are well known in the art and generally take several forms. There are single unitary mammary prostheses which comprise a shell of physiologically inert material, such as silicone rubber or the like, which is filled with a silicone gel or a saline solution and then sealed. Inflatable mammary prostheses also are available and generally include a hollow shell of physiologically inert material, such as silicone rubber, which is implanted and then filled with a saline solution during surgery to achieve the appropriate prosthesis and breast size. In addition to the single shell inflatable mammary prosthesis, an inflatable bilumen or double shell mammary prosthesis is also available. The inflatable bilumen mammary prosthesis generally includes an inner shell filled with a gel which is positioned within an outer shell that can be filled with liquid through a valve to achieve the desired breast augmentation.
Both the single shell inflatable mammary prosthesis and the inflatable bilumen mammary prosthesis advantageously permit the size of the mammary prosthesis to be varied by altering the amount of liquid admitted to the prosthesis. However, the single shell prosthesis does possess several advantages. First, it can be folded or rolled into a very compact form and thus inserted through a relatively small incision. Second, it contains no gel which can migrate if the shell is ruptured. However, there are disadvantages to the current single shell prosthesis. The walls of the single shell prosthesis are more likely to adhere together or crease which can structurally weaken the shell. In addition, when completely filled with the preferred liquid, saline solution, the fluid hydraulic properties of a single shell prosthesis can result in an unnatural feel.
There is a need for a single shell inflatable mammary prosthesis which does not possess the disadvantages of the prior art prostheses.